COTE: Popularity System

Takada Hikaru stayed in his dorm, drinking freshly brewed green tea, feeling extremely relaxed.

He had just met Sakayanagi Arisu and obtained a contract worth 400,000 Private Points per month from her.

According to Sakayanagi Arisu, after she got the video, she went to negotiate with Ryūen Kakeru and others from Class C, eventually extorting a contract for 800,000 Private Points every month.

Since Takada Hikaru provided the video, she specially drew up a new contract and split half of the income with him.

This arrangement was beneficial to Takada Hikaru: first, he earned points, and second, his involvement was not exposed.

In the eyes of Ryūen Kakeru from Class C, the only person who inflicted major losses on their class was Sakayanagi Arisu. There was no trace of his involvement.

Even if Class C was angry, only Sakayanagi Arisu and Class B would be targeted, having nothing to do with him or Class A.

"However, it was a pleasant surprise that she was willing to share some profits with me."

Takada Hikaru's initial intention was merely to use this opportunity to increase his Popularity Score, not caring about receiving Private Points.

In his opinion, the Sudō Fighting Incident in the original series was confusing from beginning to end, and neither party was very likable. If he got directly involved, whether helping Sudō Ken win the case or helping the Class C students win, it would likely earn him the audience's dislike.

Therefore, instead of entering the fray directly, he used the temptation of profit to persuade Class B to step in.

Since Class B had two leaders, considering their respective personalities, Takada Hikaru approached Sakayanagi Arisu first, and then Katsuragi Kōhei.

Katsuragi Kōhei's operational style was relatively conservative. He didn't want to offend Class C and had no intention of participating in the incident.

But Sakayanagi Arisu was the complete opposite. Despite her petite frame, she was utterly fearless of conflict and not afraid of retaliation from Class C.

Upon seeing the opportunity for massive profit, she immediately took people to negotiate with Ryūen Kakeru.

Takada Hikaru was unaware of the negotiation process between the two sides, and the anime hadn't shown it yet. He only knew that in the end, Sakayanagi Arisu received 800,000 Private Points from Class C every month, and she then split half of the income with him.

Her intention was clear: she wanted to continue cooperating with him. If similar opportunities arose in the future, she hoped he would come to her again.

'Once the anime airs the confrontation between Sakayanagi Arisu and Ryūen Kakeru, I'll benefit from the association too.'

Based on Takada Hikaru's understanding of the anime, as the information provider who also received a share of the profits, he would at least be mentioned, even if he didn't have any screen time.

Inducing the Class B leader to participate this time was a situation that only had benefits and no drawbacks for him.

As long as Class B got involved, if they failed, it meant the Class B leader was incompetent but if they succeeded, Takada Hikaru, who provided the video, would also share the glory.

The main principle was to share the good fortune but not the misfortune.

If neither of the two Class B leaders had participated, it would simply mean they lacked courage.

In any case, it couldn't possibly be the fault of a Fun-Seeker like him.

'Next, I just need to act out one more scene, and my part in the Sudo Fighting Arc should be complete.'

Takada Hikaru comfortably drank his green tea, waiting for the girl to arrive.

Not long after, a knock sounded outside the door, followed by a girl's voice.

"Takada-san, it's Kushida Kikyo. I'm outside the door."

Takada Hikaru put down his teacup and walked toward the door.

Shortly before, his terminal received a message from Kushida Kikyo. She indicated that she had something she wanted to discuss with him privately in his room.

A beautiful girl from another class wants to enter your room.

An ordinary boy, upon learning this, would likely let his imagination run wild and wonder if she liked him.

But Takada Hikaru, having watched the anime, knew that Kushida Kikyo was simply out of points and couldn't afford to meet in places like a cafe.

She couldn't possibly borrow points from Takada Hikaru and then expect him to pay for the drinks, could she?

If she actually did that, her reputation among the entire first year would surely be ruined.

After opening the door, Kushida Kikyo gave a smile and said apologetically, "Good afternoon, Takada-san. I apologize for visiting at this time."

"Don't worry about it. I'm happy Kikyo was willing to come over."

After exchanging pleasantries, the two entered the room.

"Is green tea alright?" Takada Hikaru, the room's host, asked.

"That's fine."

Kushida Kikyo knew she was here to borrow points, so she didn't dare make many demands.

While Takada Hikaru prepared the tea, Kushida Kikyo composed herself. Although she had already asked many people to borrow points, this kind of behavior was certainly humiliating.

Damn Horikita, I'll make sure you get expelled eventually!

After mentally slicing Horikita Suzune into a thousand pieces, Kushida Kikyo heard Takada Hikaru's voice.

"Kikyo, you must be here regarding Ken-kun's situation, right?" Takada Hikaru asked while brewing tea.

He didn't directly mention borrowing points. Even if the other party was mentally prepared for it, stating it outright would still make them feel uncomfortable. That's why a tactful approach was necessary.

"Takada-san, you're really amazing. You guessed it."

Kushida Kikyo nodded slightly. "Horikita-san said she came up with a good plan that requires buying Cameras and a Voice Recorder, but our class is running a bit low on points."

Class D students were short on points, and Sudō Ken wasn't well-liked in Class D either. Asking them to pay for him was harder than getting a PhD.

Takada Hikaru remarked, "Kikyo, you really work hard. You must be very tired right now."

"I am a little tired, yes."

Hearing his words, Kushida Kikyo nodded, maintaining a resilient smile on her face. "But for Sudō-kun's sake, so he won't be expelled, I don't mind being a little more tired."

How disgusting.

Even Kushida Kikyo herself felt disgusted by her own words. But to maintain her public image, she could only pretend to be an angel who expected nothing in return.

"I can give you the points. Considering your current situation, you won't need to pay these points back." Takada Hikaru said.

"Really?" A bright smile immediately appeared on Kushida Kikyo's face.

This was the best news she had heard recently. Her list of Creditors would finally not have another name added to it.

Takada Hikaru changed the subject, "However, I'm very curious about Suzune-san's plan. Could you tell me about it?"

Kushida Kikyo smiled and nodded. "Of course, but I hope Takada-san won't reveal it to the students in Class C."

"No problem."

Thus, Takada Hikaru heard Class D's battle plan.

First, use Kushida Kikyo's friendship with the three Class C students to call them back to the scene of the incident.

Next, Horikita Suzune would appear, use the pre-installed Fake Surveillance Cameras, and employ verbal tricks to entice the three Class C students to reveal the truth, which would then be recorded using the Voice Recorder.

Finally, the recording would be submitted as evidence to secure victory.

"Suzune-san certainly has ideas."

After listening, Takada Hikaru pretended he could barely suppress a laugh. "But the probability of success is infinitely close to zero."

"Why?" Kushida Kikyo asked, blinking in confusion.

"The school is currently very strict about investigating violent incidents. If I recall correctly, Class C's Daichi-kun and the others have also been suspended and restricted by the school, only allowed to leave their dorms during meal times. Violations would result in punishment, possibly even expulsion."

Takada Hikaru glanced at the girl in front of him and said, "Even if Kikyo invites them, Daichi-kun and the others probably wouldn't dare return to the scene of the incident."

Hearing this, Kushida Kikyo's eyes widened slightly.

In that instant, she thought of many things. With so many flaws in the plan, wouldn't she have an opportunity to sabotage it and get Sudō expelled?